Summer Student Position: Urban Farmer Programs Assistant

UPDATE: THANKS TO ALL APPLICANTS – THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED – June 5, 2015

Dates: June 1 – August 4 (9 weeks), 30 hours/week, $10.25/hour

Farmers on 57th is hiring an Urban Farmer Programs Assistant. This Canada Summer Jobs position runs June 1 – August 4 (9 weeks), 30 hours a week. You must be available to work part of your weekly 30 hours on Tuesdays, Fridays, the occasional Monday evening and occasional weekends. You must be a full-time student (ages 15-30) who plans to return to school Fall 2015 to be eligible for this position and are legally entitled to work in Canada.

Farmers on 57th are therapeutic, productive and educational gardens located in South Vancouver at Cambie and 57th. We farm on the grounds of George Pearson Centre, a long-term care facility owned by Vancouver Coastal Health. As our summer student, you will play a key support role in all four of our programs: the Market Garden, which runs a Harvest Box CSA program and educational programs; Garden Club, a weekly therapeutic garden program that enables residents with disabilities to grow their own vegetables and flowers; Community Kitchen, which uses our fresh harvest to create nutritious homemade meals for residents who otherwise eat a hospital diet; and Growing Eden, a garden which specifically supports refugee families living in South Vancouver.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

As summer student, you will report to the managers of the Market Garden, Community kitchen, Growing Eden and Garden Club. You can expect this job to be varied and provide hands-on experience in community integrated farming, which includes the fields of urban farming, therapeutic horticulture, community kitchens and garden-based programming for children.

Your responsibilities will include:

updating the www.Farmerson57th.ca website and social media throughout summer

observing and documenting the activities of Market Garden and Garden Club towards creating an instructional handbook on community integrated farming.

playing a key support role in the monthly Community kitchen, which includes liaising with the market garden, menu planning, cooking, serving and clean-up along with the community kitchen crew.

playing a key support role in Growing Eden, which is shifting to a new site this year. Duties include helping to construct & maintain the new garden, co-leading the children’s garden-based program, overseeing our outdoor pizza program.

playing a lead role in organising our annual Farmers on 57th Open House for interested communities and institutions, which includes VCH, BC Housing, the City, community nutritionists, urban farmers, Pearson staff and families. This would include preparing promotional material, preparing a slide show, managing invitations and RSVPs, and day-of-event support.

Qualifications

You have a strong interest in urban agriculture, and are interested in helping contribute to a robust & sustainable local food system.

You relate well to a wide variety of people of varying ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds.

You know how to handle a hammer and a shovel, and are experienced in, or interested in, adding to your practical skill set in areas such as irrigation, basic carpentry, outdoor cooking.

You have excellent communication skills, an ability to observe, collect data, and record meaningful notes for a wider audience.

you own your own laptop and can bring it with you to work

you are self-directed and able to manage your own time.

you have experience making slideshows, brochures, email invitations.

you have a driver’s license.

You must be a full-time student who plans to return to school in the fall to be eligible for this position.

To Apply

Please send a letter expressing your interest in this position and details of your experience as it relates to the position, and C.V. Send to farmerson57th@gmail.com. We will receive applications until we have found the right candidate. Please include both phone and email.

UPDATE: THANKS TO ALL APPLICANTS – THIS POSITION HAS BEEN FILLED – June 5, 2015